Stop the cops who cheat

South Florida cities are talking about how some short-shifting cops have been cheating the public.

They should now put the talk into action and stop a practice that, in the private sector, would quickly lead to employees being fired.

Earlier this month, Sun Sentinel reporter Sally Kestin wrote a series of stories about how some South Florida policemen and women habitually leave their beats before the end of their shifts. With the help of the cops' SunPass toll records, she found certain officers who regularly cheat the public and get paid for work they aren't doing. Sadly, her stories exposed a turn-your-head management culture that, in too many communities, puts fellow officers and citizens at risk.

In some cities, the short-shift practices have been happening for years. The investigation found 39 officers from six South Florida agencies who short-shifted the public between 2010 and 2012. So you have to believe police supervisors, perhaps even elected officials, were allowing it to happen — an unacceptable standard of public stewardship.

Still, on the heels of previous Sun Sentinel investigations about police officers who abuse take-home car privileges or habitually speed on area roads, the six agencies mentioned are finally, thankfully, taking a closer look at lax police department management practices and promising action.

In Davie, Councilman Bryan Caletka says he'll ask for weekly GPS reports on the location of police cruisers in his town. Thank you, Councilman Caletka , for stepping up and showing the kind of leadership citizens expect.

In Plantation, where the Sun Sentinel found 11 officers outside the city's borders when they should have been on duty, Mayor Diane Veltri Bendekovic said short-shifting officers "put a blemish on our entire department." She ordered the police chief to evaluate the cost and benefits of take-home cars, even as commanders start keeping closer tabs on officers through GPS. Thank you, Mayor Bendekovic, for taking these findings seriously and expecting better.

In Pembroke Pines, Mayor Frank Ortis said he, too, would look at a practice that allows officers to take their breaks at the end of a shift and go home early. Thank you, Mayor Ortis, for instituting the kind of review that people expect. Citizens pay for police coverage 24/7 and at the moment, we lack confidence that we're getting our money's worth.

But so far, there have been no consequences for officers who leave work early. Nor has anyone proposed changing certain departments' take-home car policies, which allow some officers to commute 100 miles a day with taxpayers footing the bill.

Lax standards at area police departments have led to tax money being wasted, public safety being compromised and the images of entire police departments being sullied by a few.

Now that an enterprising reporter has pulled back the curtain, it's good to see some political leaders take some first steps toward reform. But more action is needed.